The Seed Report

By Edju Martin
3/17/13

No, this isn’t a column on my sperm count, but rather a review of the seedings handed out for the NCAA Tournament. This is not a prediction column or anything, I am judging the seed a team received based on their body of work.

#3 Syracuse – The total face plant really should have seen them as a #4 with either Michigan State or Louisville rising to the 3 line.

#4 UCLA – They don’t feel like a 4 seed, but I don’t see anyone having a compelling argument to displace them from this spot.

#5 VCU – A solid team with a win over Virginia, but a weaker schedule overall, this seems about right.

#6 Ohio State – A case of conference bias to me, as New Mexico should have outseeded a Buckeyes team that went from 15-0 to 25-blow.

#7 New Mexico – An ornery bunch from their upset in a 3-14 game against Harvard last year, they’re even more ornery to be seeded below an average Ohio State team.

#8 Colorado – I’d have seeded them below Pittsburgh had it mattered, but your classic 8-9 team anyways.

#9 Pittsburgh – See above.

#10 Stanford – Just good enough to not be in the First Four, but really was an 11 at best to me.

#11 Dayton – Could have been a 10 here, but this is a justifable seed.

#12 Stephen F. Austin – A Southland team this high is odd to see, but the Committee thankfully looked at a 31-2 team that hasn’t lost since November, and got it right.

#13 Tulsa – They seem to be better than a 13, but I don’t see anywhere higher they’d really go to justify dropping someone else.

#14 Western Michigan – About right for the MAC champions, but remember the halcyon days of the MAC as a multi-bid conference?

#15 Eastern Kentucky – Beating Belmont is a feat, but this seems right.

#16A Mount St. Mary’s – I don’t know who St. Mary is, but I’m sure in hell not mounting her.

#16B Albany – Yep.

West Region

#1 Arizona – Easy 1 seed.

#2 Wisconsin – The 2 seems right, albeit a 2 no one wants to play.

#3 Creighton – Funny how that Big East tag works? A good seed to me, though if they were still in the MVC they’d probably by a #6 or so.

#4 San Diego State – Underrated team (by the public, not the Committee), and it’s nice to see them get their due here.

#5 Oklahoma – A blah team that gets a blah seed.

#6 Baylor – They’re certainly coming on, but you can’t discount how bad they were for a time either. 6 seems right.

#7 Oregon – A few nice wins, a couple bad losses, a power conference, and there’s the 7.

#8 Gonzaga – A team from a mid-major conference that may have gotten some kind seeding due to their individual brand name. This isn’t your typical Gonzaga team that no one wants to face.

#9 Oklahoma State – I hate the concept of seeding based on whether or not a team had certain players playing or not, or if they will have them going forward – seeding should be based on your body of work, period. The Cowboys shat on themselves to the tune of a SEVEN GAME losing streak, and they’re still a 9? Ludicrous.

#10 BYU – Another kind seed, and I suspect one given in part due to the fact that BYU has to play Thursday-Saturday pods and regionals due to their religious beliefs. I don’t mind being accommodating for religion, but that kind of thing doesn’t sit well with me. If you’re going to move seeds around for BYU to avoid them playing on Sunday, they should be lowered, not elevated.

#11 Nebraska – I’d have had them as a #10 over BYU, but #11 isn’t horrible for them.

#12 North Dakota State – This feels about right, the Bison are sneaky good.

#13 New Mexico State – Not very good, but probably better than the alternatives.

#14 Louisiana-Lafayette – Or is it just Louisiana now? Who knows? I guess a 14 for them.

#15 American – This really is a 16 seed quality team, even though they allowed 36 points on the road to cement their bid. I’m guessing travel logistics gave them the 15 here.

#16 Weber State – See above. American travelling to Milwaukee and Weber travelling to San Diego made sense, but I’d rather just see teams seeded where they should be regardless of travel factors.

East Region

#1 Virginia – The most surprising of the 1 seeds, but a strong record accentuated by the ACC regular season/tournament double is good enough for me.

#2 Villanova – Probably would have claimed that 1 seed had they not gone one-and-done against Seton Hall at MSG.

#3 Iowa State – They finished strong and earned this seed, and could have claimed Michigan’s 2 without the West Virginia blowout.

#4 Michigan State – The dreaded eye test could have given them a 2 seed, but the resume justifies the 4 they did get.

#5 Cincinnati – They don’t do it for me personally, but I guess a 5 is about right for them.

#6 North Carolina – The win against Duke apparently goes a long way, because I saw them as a 7 or maybe even an 8.

#7 Connecticut – This is about right, they really don’t evoke any emotions here.

#8 Memphis – This team nor seed is as exciting as the shirt Memphis native Jerry Lawler was rocking in his hometown this past Monday:

#9 George Washington – I cannot tell a lie: this seed seems a touch too high.

#10 St. Joseph’s – They went from right on the bubble to a 10 seed? I’d have taken Providence here.

#11 Providence – Don’t sleep on the Friars, who probably got screwed a seed line or two (but would probably rather be a 10 than an 8 or 9)

#12 Harvard – This team really could have been an 8 or a 9, but people see “Harvard” and can’t get past that.

#13 Delaware – They’re not as good as a typical 13, but this seems right given the rest of the field

#14 North Carolina Central – There must be some real shitty teams around to see the MEAC above a 15.

#15 Milwaukee – For all the bleating that Green Bay should have gotten a bid after Milwaukee upset them for the Horizon title, a 15 is the best they could do? The answer is probably less.

#16 Coastal Carolina – Probably a good choice as a 16, but the best of the bunch.

Midwest Region

#1 Wichita State – They deserve it. Fuck you.

#2 Michigan – The shakiest of the 2 seeds to me, but probably did enough to earn it.

#3 Duke – A good team, but not good enough for a top 2 seed – this is the right spot for them.

#4 Louisville – Whoever was on the CBS selection show that was surprised the Cardinals didn’t get a 1 seed should have been required to piss in a cup on the spot. That said, I could see a 3 for these guys.

#5 Saint Louis – Another team that doesn’t get a lot of publicity, but earned their seed.

#6 Massachusetts – This one really surprised me, and this is coming from a Massachusetts resident. I expected them to be somewhere in the 8-10 range, and maybe even 11 if things broke poorly. Way too high to me.

#7 Texas – BOOOOOOOOOOOORING.

#8 Kentucky – I’d have given them the #6 that UMass got here, but this is miles better than going on the road to Robert Morris for the 1st round of the Not In Tournament.

#9 Kansas State – They could have been better if they didn’t step on their own dicks so hard early on in losses to Northern Colorado, Charlotte, and a pasting by Georgetown.

#10 Arizona State – Some colleagues here had me thinking that this was a low seed, but a 10 feels about right.

#11A Tennessee – I thought they had done enough to evade the First Four, but you can’t argue this too much.

#11B Iowa – The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, are your classic shitty major conference First Four entrant.

#12A Xavier – This feels about right

#12B North Carolina State – As apparently the last team in, I really don’t mind this, though SMU does have a complaint. Not a good one, though, because if you’re complaining you’re #68 instead of #69, you should have done more.